Zhou Ji, enraged and embarrassed, wanted to make a move, but Qin Youbei reined in her laughter and looked at him coldly, her voice chilling as she reminded him, "Want to try me? Go ahead!"
She grabbed the bowl of fruit salad from the table and flung it directly at Zhou Ji's face.
Zhou Ji's face was instantly smeared, making him look utterly ridiculous.
"Qin Youbei!" he bellowed, furiously standing up and wiping his face, his expression comical and highly amusing.
The onlookers at the side were already laughing so hard they were cramping up.
Xiangxiang's complexion turned from red to white, as embarrassed in this moment as she had been pleased just before.
Unable to stay even a minute longer, she grabbed her purse and ran outside.
Zhou Ji also wanted to slip away, but as soon as he took a step, Qin Youbei stopped him: "The jade bracelet."
He was furious, glaring at Qin Youbei with hatred.
But there was no other choice; he had to hand over the valuable jade bracelet with resentment and threw it at Qin Youbei.
Only then did Qin Youbei step aside, but he still didn't get very far.
This time, he was stopped by the restaurant manager: "Sir, you haven't paid your bill."
Zhou Ji pulled out a few large banknotes from his wallet and tossed them onto the table, then hurriedly scurried away.
Holding the jade bracelet, Qin Youbei gave everyone a sweet smile as a gesture of thanks for their support and apology for the disturbance and then left the restaurant as well.
She took out her phone and made a call to her cousin: "Sis, don't worry, I've gotten the bracelet back."
Her cousin was tearfully grateful: "Shell, thank you so much."
"What's there to thank between sisters? I'll bring it to you in a few days when I have no classes," she assured.
Qin Youbei ended the call, looked down, and put her phone back into her bag.
Suddenly, her way forward was blocked.
Her gaze settled on the dress pants of the newcomer, a man with perfectly creased trousers that made his legs appear especially long, suggesting a tall and statuesque frame.
Gradually looking up, her eyes fixed on the man.
The man was dressed in a sharply tailored charcoal suit, understated and elegant with a touch of simple luxury.
Standing against the light, his features were obscured in shadow, his face indistinct, but a pair of cold, black eyes exuded endless chill, along with an aura of danger around him.
Noble, autocratic, to be looked up to and worshipped but not to be tamed.
Three big characters floated through Qin Youbei's mind—Emperor Top!
With an inward giggle, she shifted to the right, trying to bypass the man.
However, the man also stepped to the right.
Qin Youbei then moved to the left, and the man followed her, moving to the left as well.
She lifted her head, her gaze slightly annoyed: "Which side do you want to pass?"
In the confrontation and shifting of positions, the lighting on this side was a bit stronger, allowing Qin Youbei to see the man's face clearly: delicate features, a statuesque physique, and an air of danger and nobility.
This was a very charismatic man, exuding allure from the inside out.
Yet amid the fiendish dark aura and the icy, grim coldness in his eyes, one felt an instinctive urge to keep a distance.
Wait a second... This man looked somewhat familiar.
Blinking and focusing once more, she felt an inexplicable chill. No way! What a coincidence to run into the same man who had forcibly kissed her at Tangquan last time.
She squinted her eyes and managed a calm smile: "Excuse me, could you let me pass?"
Gu Xiao looked at her, his gaze deep and dark, his tone certain, "You."
Qin Youbei tensed inwardly, "I don't know what you're talking about."
He shouldn't recognize her; that day the air was thick with fog, and they were so close, it was impossible to see clearly. She kept her eyes straight ahead, trying to pass the man once more.
But Gu Xiao wasn't about to let her go so easily; he grabbed her wrist: "It's you."